Novel coronavirus: call for volunteers to strengthen the Institut Pasteur's response to the outbreak

The 2019 coronavirus disease (COronaVIrusDisease-19) epidemic, CoViD-19, is spreading and getting closer to us. A "Coronavirus" task force was set up several weeks ago at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. It coordinates all activities linked to this epidemic, ranging from basic research to public health. The units on the Paris campus directly involved in the diagnosis, the National Reference Centre for respiratory virus infection and the CIBU, are facing a significant increase in their workload and would need reinforcement, particularly in technical staff. If the situation were to continue or even get complicated, this reinforcement would become essential. This is why we are calling on volunteers now to organize this support in advance in the framework of the Outbreak Investigation Task Force (OITF).

The OITF was created in 2015 to respond quickly to emergencies and support the investigation and control of epidemics, following the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. It is re-mobilized in the face of the new health threat posed by SARS-CoV 2.

The OITF is based on IPIN volunteers who will provide their expertise to assist with outbreak investigations to better understand emergence, transmission, and control of emerging and re-emerging diseases. It therefore needs volunteers to function, whatever their specialty and function: biologist (medical or not), epidemiologist, laboratory technician, engineer, logistician, and administrative staff.

A form for OITF volunteer database has been created. Here is the link

https://redcap.pasteur.fr/surveys/?s=93WA37EJXA

Once you have completed and saved the form, you will receive a confirmation message. You can go back to the questionnaire at any time to amend your answers or enter additional information by clicking on the link to Outbreak Investigation Task Force. When you receive the confirmation email, we would advise you to keep this link as you can use it to update your details.

It’s around 10 minutes to fill the form. You will need to join your updated CV and to indicate the expiring date of your passport.While completing this registration form does not commit you to volunteering, or guarantee deployments, it indicates your interest so that we may send you regular updates and inform you of opportunities to deploy on outbreak responses according to your skills and interests
 
Thanks in advance, and do not hesitate to contact us: outbreak@pasteur.fr